Fish Finder ( I am in the market for one )

[Fishinfool]

The last few months, I 've been reading all these posts about the indispensability of a F.F. I figure between now and Feb. will be a good time to shop around for a useable F.F. at a good price. I am open to buying a used on, if it works of course.

If anyone is looking to trade up, and/or have a workable one that they want to unload, feel free to p.m. me w/ the details. Thanks, Steve

[kevinfry]

do yourself a favor and buy new. Visit Basspro and do lots of chatting about features if various ff. If you have the money you can have something new ranging from $70 to $400. You can save money on the battery and installation.

I don't have the money and had to settle for a $25 ebay special. Does the basics but nothing else and is hit and miss in many ways.

[J.A. Veil]

Steve -

See my new post in the Tackle Box Forum. It may not be what you want, but the price is right.

[MDFishin]

I LOVE my Lowrance DSI, however I wish I would have splurged a little more and got the DSI with the GPS. I use NAVIONICS app on my phone for GPS, but I would really like to have GPS capability on my FF.

just my .02

[ronaultmtd]

I have the Cuda 350 Combo- It is not color but that isn't a deal breaker for me- it draws a lot less power than a color unit- it is fairly basic FF- only water temp and basic sonar- it does identify fish from bottom clutter and it is accurate- did I mention it was very affordable?

[MetroMan]

use NAVIONICS app on my phone for GPS, but I would really like to have GPS capability on my FF.

just my .02

I'm with you. I use "FlyToMaps" on my phone, which is GREAT. But having the chart & GPS functions integrated with the FF would be better/less cumbersome. I'll probably try to upgrade to a bigger, more capable unit over this winter.

[HokieDJ]

Look into the Elite 4x. It's color with Chart and GPS way points. Let's you set way points to all the honey holes you find. Used it this weekend to find the same spot I caught fish before when fishing the CBBT where each pilon looks pretty much the same and there's no markings like there is at the rt 50 bay bridge. I run the Elite 4x on 12 rechargeable batteries for over 12 hours with no issues. I just wired 2 6AA battery holders in series.

[MDFishin]

The Elite 4X does not have a gps/chartplotter. It is simply the Elite 4. The X refers to not having a chartplotter. I have the Elite-4X DSI which does not have the chartplotter.

[HokieDJ]

Yes you are right. I actually have both the 4 and 4x. I bought the 4x first and realized that I should get the 4 for the chart plotter after going to the CBBT.

[daddyg]

With the FF you will need a battery send me a PM. I just got a new case last mouth can't even sell them cheap so for MKF I have bin giving them away..

[J.A. Veil]

Another thing to consider is the size of the screen. I know that many MKF members are young folks who still have decent vision. For those of us who are older, being able to see a screen clearly becomes increasingly important. There is a significant difference in screen size between the Lowrance 4 series and the 5 series. I think that screen sizes are measured as the diagonal from corner to corner. The Elite 4 has a 3.5" screen, whereas the Elite 5 has a 5" screen. At least on a single linear dimension, this is 42% larger. Without knowing the height and width, I cannot estimate how much larger it is in square inches. Of course, the cost for the 5 series is quite a bit higher too. Given my eyesight, I would not choose a unit with lower than 5" size.

[Fishinfool]

Great info gents! I'll consider it all. Thanks, Steve

[daddyg]

Another thing to consider is the size of the screen. I know that many MKF members are young folks who still have decent vision. For those of us who are older, being able to see a screen clearly becomes increasingly important. There is a significant difference in screen size between the Lowrance 4 series and the 5 series. I think that screen sizes are measured as the diagonal from corner to corner. The Elite 4 has a 3.5" screen, whereas the Elite 5 has a 5" screen. At least on a single linear dimension, this is 42% larger. Without knowing the height and width, I cannot estimate how much larger it is in square inches. Of course, the cost for the 5 series is quite a bit higher too. Given my eyesight, I would not choose a unit with lower than 5" size.

Im 54 and the Elite 4 is just fine for size it's the knot tying that gets me sometimes that little loop I keep missing..

[MDFishin]

one thing Hobie guys have as an advantage is that you can mount the FF much closer to your body. I paddle, and my screen is mounted on my Slidetrax right next to my right foot, probably 2.5 feet from my face. Hobie guys can mount it right next to their body without having to worry about their paddle stroke getting in the -4Xway. The only complaint I have about viewing the Elite-4x DSI is that sometimes the glare makes it nearly impossible to see the screen. Im going to get some stick on anti glare/screen protectors similar to what you use on smartphones. I think that will help greatlly.

[Grady-Black]

I have the Elite 4 also.
I'm very satisfied with it..
GB